Vintage Minor Register

The chassis register that we maintain records every surviving Minor and M Type that we have collectively been able to trace - some 1,200 vehicles to date, but this is a tiny fraction of the approximately 90,000 produced. Frequently, photos or other documentary evidence comes to light, indicating the existence, at one time, of many of these other cars.

Up until now, no formal measures have been taken to record these vehicles, but this is about to change. Ann online register of known vehicles is being assembled, with hyperlinks to images of these vehicles where possible. This register will be ordered in registration number - since it is not always possible to ascertain the vehicle season or OHC/SV status from surviving images. Of course this data will be recorded if available or obvious from the image(s). Approximate first registration dates will be checked against Glass's Guide to help date cars.

There is absolutely no chance of tracing anything like all of the vehicles ever produced, but this new register will be extremely useful and interesting in many ways, not least of which when we are contacted by past owners, as we often are. Similarly, when cars do turn up, it is always interesting to see if past images of the car exist in our archives, and this register will make that task infinitely easier.

So, if you have any photos of Minors or M Types that you cannot find on the chassis register, or which you believe may not have survived, please send them in, along with any supporting data that you may have.

Thanks in advance!

Ian

OK - I just uploaded a prototype database to the Members' Area, seeded with 50 cars and hyperlinked images. This should give some idea of what will hopefully grow over the years into a significant historical resource. There is plenty of space for notes on each image as well - so send in whatever you have - 250 pairs of eyes must be better than one.

When I started work on this, I thought it might be a bit of an anorak escapade, but now I think not. I would welcome views of fellow forumists.

a mans gotta have a hobby. should be interesting to see how many non survivors turn up

And this category includes all the prototypes and Morris promotional vehicles, so this is a convenient place to store a lot of very interesting period pics.

Today I received a package from new member Tony Eldridge that has left me speechless. Tony owns a 1934 Minor saloon. Back in 1958, his father also owned a very tidy 1934 Minor saloon and the car clearly made a deep impression on him as a schoolboy over fifty years ago - so much so that he created a 1934 Minor register of his own which contained about forty sightings in and around Ilford in Essex - they were already becoming rare. He has sent me a photocopy of this amazing document. Each car has an entire page of notes associated with it, including details of the condition of tyres, upholstery, colour, doors, chromium, roof, where seen, at what speed, the state of the silencer, noise, accessories, non-standard fitments and remarks. It constitutes a unique and valuable historical record of Minor motoring when these cars were on the verge of extinction. Only one of the cars he saw back then has appeared to have survived, and funnily enough, it was one of the worst cars he saw!

For example, here's Tony's remarks about RM 9854:

"One of the world's worst. Rubberless running boards. Rear splash panel missing. 4 hubcaps missing. Spare wheel shaky on body. Miserable interior. Springs completely down fore and aft. Hand painted. A very nasty, incomplete example."

Just how we like to find them these days!

It will take some time for me to assimilate this mine of information in this register, but I will be reviewing it in the detail it deserves in M 137 - as well as adding all these cars to the new Lost Cars register.

Just uploaded an updated Lost Cars spreadsheet to the Members' Area, now with 94 cars included - and most with links to images. I have included research carried out by Mike Houston, but not Tony Eldridge's 1934 Minors yet. If you have images or records of any Minors that do not appear on the chassis register, please send them in.